Seymour Hersh: King's Ransom-How vulnerable are the Saudi royals?

The New Yorker ^ | 10/16/01 | Seymour M. Hersh

[mathurine]

I think your ideas are definitely on the right track.

[aristeides]

Hersh did what seemed to be a rather knowledgeable piece about the NSA in the New Yorker about a year ago. I had the impression that the Director of the NSA, Gen. Hayden, was one of his chief sources.

[aristeides]

During Ramadan, couldn't you do what the Italians did at Genoa during the G8 meeting, and close the air space around Mecca and Medina?

[aristeides]

FYI.

[ganesha]

For more information on this subject I would recommend reading "The Rise Corruption And Coming Fall Of The House of Saud" by Said Aburish Based on what I read in that book, the article by Seymour Hersh seems believable. The combination of political corruption, religious fanatacism, and financial insolvency caused by massive debt is going to kill them.

[Magician]

It's time for us to take back the Saudi oil fields (they belonged to American companies until they were nationalized 40 years ago). We can pay the Saudis a few dollars a barrel royalty as we did before the fields were nationalized.

If you think we have a slow economy now, wait until those oil fields fall into the hands of the fanantics in Saudi Arabia who are waiting to take over the country and throw out the House of Saud. Oil at $100 per barrel. The Dow at 2000.

[RobbyS]

According to someone who saw the report, it concluded that with only a small amount of explosives terrorists could take the oil fields off line for two years. More like six months, tops.

[a history buff]

You are as sick as the cretins on 9-11 were.

[nopardons]

Bump

[ken5050]

Do you sense any similarity with the last days of the Shah of Iran?......and look at the mess that has caused. The House of Saud could topple like a house of cards in one day...there are more Palestinians working in the country, running the infrastructure, then there are Saudis living there....and did you see the thread about the Saudis are thinking about asking the US military to leave.

[ken5050]

Seymour Hersh does lack credibility, to say the least..

[libertylover]

"...the Bush Administration, like the Clinton Administration, is refusing to confront this reality..."

Hardly. The Bush Administration actually wanted to reduce our dependence on foreign oil BEFORE 9-11.

[cicero's_son]

It's not the JAG's fault. He was doing his job.

It's the CinC's fault for allowing a lawyer to dictate war policy.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Looks like Mecca is about due for new management. Maybe the previous owners will take over. Ditto Iraq.

[az wildkitten]

One of my siblings is a Gov. Employee travelling to Arabia frequently to consult on the Comm. Center there. It is my sibling's understanding that one of the royals had been laundering drug money for the cartels for years. Our previous administration was completely aware, but didn't want to upset the status quo. I suspect Bush and Co. understand the implications of this and wanted to decrease if not eliminate our dependency because of the corruption of the royals.

[JJ59]

Let's just invade and take some of the oil fields for our own use. Not the whole country mind you, they can keep their stinking wasteland of a country. Just take an area about the size of Israel with enough oil to last us about a hundred years or so.

To add to this keep some some nuclear tipped cruise missles pointed at Mecca. Any complaints and terrorism and they are let loose.

[Howlin]

I heard the same program. Seymour has lost "it," IMO.

[Howlin]

It is fertile ground for the next Taliban-like government.

Which is exactly what bin Laden wants.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Saudi Arabia King Fahd receives Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Chavez stressed the need to stabilize the oil market during his visit, part of a multi-nation tour that was taking him to Iran and Russia. (AP Photo/SPA)

[Dan Day]

There are many Muslims who would like to "take out" the Saudi Royal Family, claiming that they are not the "true Islam." I think that they are in more danger than they know.

Check out this tinfoil-hatted "history" of Saudi Arabia from a prominent Muslim website: http://www.muslimedia.com/archives/features98/saud1.htm

Sample rant: "This was fanned by injecting the poison of nationalism to pit Arab Muslims against Turkish Muslims. That the Arabs willingly swallowed this poison shows the depth of their depravity. They were prepared to accept the promises of the kuffar [infidels] against their fellow Muslims."